Mated By Mistake
Yazar
Laila Callaway
Okur
602K
BölĂŒm
12
Bria Blossom is the Beta's daughter. She never gets into trouble. She's a golden girl, responsible, sweet, and eager to meet her mate.
When she finds out that her mate is none other than the pack's black sheep, Rhett Tiercel, she doesn't know what to think. She panics, worrying that Rhett will reject her. Resorting to the pack witch for help, she has a spell cast to temporarily hide the bond from Rhett. She has two weeks to find out if they can be together or not.
Can the bad boy fall in love with the golden girl? Or has the Moon Goddess made a mistake?
Chapter 1
BRIA
âBria, your sweet sixteen is next weekend. Why are you holed up in the library studying instead of planning your party?â Sage, my best friend, complains.
I roll my eyes, keeping them glued to my math textbook. âIn case youâve forgotten, Sage, we have exams in less than two months. This is important. Iâm studying.â
Sage scoffs, and I finally glance up at her. Sheâs leaning back in her chair, balancing it on two legs. The exact thing teachers always tell us not to do.
Her auburn hair is piled into a messy bun, and her green eyes sparkle with mischief.
âI donât know anyone else who comes to school early to study,â she teases.
âYes, you do. You know me.â
She laughs at my retort, and before I can stop her, she snatches the textbook from in front of me.
âHey!â I protest. âGive that back!â
âNope. Itâs homeroom time, letâs go.â
The bell rings, marking the start of the school day. Sage and I are polar opposites in many ways.
Iâm practical; sheâs impulsive. Iâm cautious; sheâs daring. Sheâs experienced with boys; Iâm not.
Iâm the betaâs daughter, expected to be a role model. My parents have raised me well, and I know how to behave.
At school, I work hard and excel in my classes. At home, I help with my siblings. Because I avoid drama and boys, Iâm friendly with most of the students at school.
But I only have two close friends.
Iâm the oldest at fifteen; I have four siblings: the twins, who are two, my younger sister, who is four, and my younger brother, who is six.
My parents are always busy, so I help out whenever I can.
Sage and I head to our lockers to gather our books for the first two classes. I stuff them into my bag, zip it up, and sling it over my shoulder.
Weâre in the same homeroom, so we navigate the crowded hallway together. The school is bustling with over a thousand students.
The crowd parts slightly, and I soon see why. Rhett Tiercel and his friends are strutting down the middle of the hallway.
People make way for them because you really donât want to cross their path.
Another two girls, Sage and I, all realize too late. The four of us are rudely jostled aside by the three boys storming through without a second thought.
The two girls across from us are unceremoniously shoved into the lockers. I stumble backward into Sage, who manages to catch me.
She wraps her arms around me from behind, steadying me with her body.
Then, the most unexpected thing happens. Rhett Tiercel glances back over his shoulder. His brown eyes meet mine. He gives me a once-over.
âSorry,â he mumbles.
He turns back around, breaking the moment. He disappears down the hallway with his crew.
âDid Rhett Tiercel just apologize?â Sage asks, sounding as stunned as I feel.
I straighten up and hoist my bag higher on my shoulder. âI guess so. Thereâs a first time for everything.â
Rhett.
Thereâs no better way to describe Rhett than as a bad boy. He has a troubled past. I know both of his parents died when he was young.
His uncle is his legal guardian, but from what I hear, he doesnât give a damn about Rhett. Heâs always fighting, swearing like a sailor, and constantly in the alphaâs office, getting reprimanded by both the alpha and my father.
My father strongly disapproves of him. He says heâs a troubled kid with no future ahead of him except jail if he keeps up this behavior.
Theyâve tried to reach out to him, but he wonât let anyone get close to him. Except his friends, and theyâre all like him: angry and aggressive.
âCome on, letâs get to homeroom,â Sage says, tugging me down the hall.
The rest of the day is pretty average. The classes fly by, and the day is relatively uneventful until lunchtime.
Iâm sitting with Sage and Annie at our usual table when everyone starts rushing outside. Curious, the girls and I follow the swarm of students.
The crowd gathers right outside the cafeteria. I squeeze through people to get to the front and see whatâs happening.
My mouth drops open in shock as I see Rhett fighting Robbie Yates. The two of them are circling each other, dodging blows and growling aggressively. Robbie is a typical jerk. Heâs good-looking and knows it. He enjoys messing with girlsâ emotions.
Iâm surprised that neither of them has shifted, but this is clearly a fight they want to settle with their fists.
There are no humans at our school, so they donât have to worry about keeping our secret.
âWhat happened?â I ask Link, who is standing next to me. Heâs a nice guy that I share French classes with.
âRobbie rejected Susanna as his mate,â Link whispers back.
I frown in confusion. Susanna is Rhettâs friend. I can understand why heâs angry at Robbie.
But how did Robbie and Susanna know they were mates? We can only recognize our mates when we turn eighteen. Rhett, Susanna, and Robbie are a year older, but theyâre only seventeen.
âHow do they know they are mates?â I ask Link.
âSusanna turned eighteen this morning; she was held back a year,â Link explains.
Poor Susanna.
I refocus on the fight and realize that Rhett has overpowered Robbie and is now sitting on his chest, pummeling his face.
Blood stains Rhettâs knuckles and Robbieâs face. It splatters across the pavement. Everyone is shouting, some are even cheering. I watch in horror, trying to get my body to move. One of Rhettâs friends, Lorenzo, I think, grabs Rhett by the shoulders and tries to pull him off Robbie. Rhett easily shrugs him off.
Even when two of Robbieâs friends try to intervene, Rhett fights them off, continuing to beat Robbieâs face.
I donât know what comes over me. I finally regain control of my body, and I rush into the cleared circle. I throw myself at Rhett, knocking him down with me.
We both tumble to the ground, his body cushioning my fall. The crowd falls silent. Rhett stares up at me in shock. His black hair is tousled, his brown eyes are wide, and he is staring right at me.
âStop,â I plead quietly.
He doesnât respond, but I see him swallow. His Adamâs apple bobs, drawing my attention to his throat. He already has a couple of tattoos there.
Heâs only seventeen. I donât know how he got them. Itâs illegal.
I realize that Iâm still on top of him, and I scramble off. I donât get a chance to do anything else because the principal shows up.
We are driven back to the pack house in separate cars. Once there, we are escorted to the alphaâs office. Guards stand with Robbie and Rhett, ensuring they donât try to fight again. I stand beside them, nervously wondering how much trouble Iâm in.
The alpha and my dad enter. My dadâs eyes land on me and widen in surprise as he realizes his little girl is caught up in all this.
âExplain what happened.â Alpha Byron orders Robbie to give his account first.
Iâm surprised he can talk; he has two black eyes and a split lip. I think his nose might be broken too, but heâll heal quickly. We all do.
He does, explaining how he rejected Susanna because he doesnât want âa crazy pyro like her as a mate.â At that description of his friend, Rhett lunges toward Robbie. Heâs held back and restrained by the guards behind him.
Rhett angrily gives his account of how Robbie is a jerk who canât appreciate a good thing when it hits him. He was teaching him a lesson.
Then their eyes fall on me. I swallow hard. My father gives me a reassuring nod.
âI didnât see much, Alpha. All I saw was the two of them fighting. I-uh tried to get Rhett to stop.â
âDo you think Rhett would have stopped before he inflicted any permanent damage to Robbie?â the alpha asks, and I swallow hard.
No. He wouldnât have. I saw the anger in Rhettâs eyes; he probably would have kept going. I donât know whether he would have killed Robbie, but he certainly looked like he wanted to.
I can feel Rhettâs eyes glaring at me as he stands to my right. I might be a good person, but Iâm not a snitch unless I have to be.
âI couldnât say, Alpha, I donât know Rhett well enough.â I take the easy way out.
Alpha Byron lets out a weary sigh, dragging his hand down his face. âRobbie, you need to head to the infirmary and have those injuries looked at. Iâm only going to say this once.â He fixes Robbie with a stern gaze. âYouâve been a fool to reject your mate. Youâll regret that decision, I guarantee it. Youâve earned yourself detention for the next two weeks for brawling on school grounds. And youâre to steer clear of Susanna until sheâs recovered from your rejection.â
Robbieâs face is a mask of anger, but he nods in understanding and exits the room. Leaving Rhett and me alone with the alpha.
âRhett Tiercel.â Alpha Byron sighs heavily. âWhat am I going to do with you? This is your fourth fight this year, and Iâve lost track of the total count. Youâve skipped every counseling session weâve set up for you. I warned you that you needed to show progress. You havenât.â
I sneak a glance at Rhett from the corner of my eye. His hands are balled into tight fists and his jaw is set. Heâs sporting a black eye, but otherwise, he seems unscathed.
âIâve made some calls and the decision has been made. Youâre exiled from this pack for one year. Youâll be staying with your aunt on West Hemlock Pack territory. After a year, weâll reassess your situation and if youâve shown improvement in your behavior, youâll be allowed to rejoin our pack. I have no doubt you could be a formidable warrior one day, but I canât tolerate this level of disruption in my ranks.â
Rhett doesnât utter a single word. I can tell heâs seething at the decision, but heâs powerless to change it. He doesnât have a leg to stand on.
The alphaâs word is law. Rhett takes a moment, then simply nods and exits the room. I notice he didnât wait for permission. He just walked out. I canât imagine ever having that kind of nerve.
Alpha Byron sighs again, running his hand through his hair. His gaze lands on me and softens. âThank you for providing your witness statement, Bria. It was clear to us that you werenât involved in the fight. Youâre free to go now.â
âThank you, Alpha.â
My dad gives a nod of approval and I exit the office. I feel like Iâm in a daze as I leave the building.
That was a far more eventful day than Iâd anticipated. And the fallout? Unbelievable.
An entire year without Rhett Tiercel.
